>> president obama vowing to remove american troops from afghanistan, the tough talk after hamid karzai refuses a security agreement. >> big trouble for bitcoin. the largest online exchange suddenly shut down leaving investors holing the bag to the tune of $300 million. >> a former u.s. president offering to broker peace in venezuela, how the economy is fuelling anti-government

protests and a black market for u.s. dollars. >> it was a vote we regret faking and plan on making it right. >> a vote governor breuer has to take has been stated to be antigay and she has been abbisk to veto it. >> good morning, it's al jazeera america, i'm morgan radford in new york city. >> president obama's pirns is wearing thin, issuing an ultimatum to afghan's president hamid karzai. he wants to keep 10,000 troops inside the country too train afghan security forces.

by august of 2011 troop presence peaked to 100,000s. the stalemate creates a showdown with huge consequences for both countries. >> u.s. president hamid karzai has left the negotiating to hamid karzai to his staff. after nine months of silence, he picked up the phone to send him a personal warning, and was told while the u.s. wants to stay in afghanistan, they have given up hope that hamid karzai will sign a security agreement providing application. 12 years after the invasion, the u.s. started to plan for the zero option, a complete withdrawal. also warning there'll be consequences the longer he delays. >> the further we go without a signed bsa, post 2014 missions

would be necessarily limited in scale and ambitious because of the requirements of planning for the troop presence. >> that could mean 3,000 u.s. troops stay, largely holed up in kabul and bag rum, mainly to conduct drone operations. >> it's counterterrorism, enabling you to operate drones and working with african special forces. that's about it. >> it the u.s. is going to continue drone air strikes, u.s. troops have to be in afghanistan. if the president wants to decide on the zero option, he'll get push back from the military and members of congress who fear what will happen in afghanistan. the american public will be more forgiving. 65% believe the war in

afghanistan was not worth fighting. many would like to see the billions promised in aid kept in the u.s. it's not a question of if the afghan forces can take on the taliban, but can the government pay them to stay in the fight. >> the pentagon plans to cut u.s. troop presence to 20,000 by midsummer. commanders can pull out troops by december 21st, if no agreement is reached. >> a small number of men and women want to be on the front line. 170,000 men and women show less than 80% want combat work. a helicopter crew known for flying navy seals into osama bin laden's compound is the most popular. >> things are moving fast in ukraine where the parliament is

putting together an interim government, including the cabinet. not everyone? ukraine is happy with the changes, especially in the southern part of the country. >> we are joined over the fen by jennifer glasse. what is happening there now? >> yesterday the people, the folks, their own mayor, they are more russian than ukrainian. we were outside the town hall where people gathered. they were yesesive when they -- aggressive when they are heard we were american television crew. "yankee go home" is what one told me. they are angry, and in particular they are angry that the ukrainian language was made the language of the count rich.

that the elicited big cheers. here, they feel they are trying to marginalise the people. everyone here speaks russian. flags were flying over city hall and people flew the flag. they say if kiev is going to marginalize us, we want to be part of russia. >> you mentioned the support for russia. it suspended $15 billion to ukraine. in the west, officials like john kerry declare support for ukraine. what exactly can they do for the country. >> ukraine will need a lot of money. the economy is in shambles, there has been a lot of corruption, it's the corrupt country in europe. the new leadership is estimating they'll need $35 billion over the next two years to sort things out. now, the international monetary fund is putting together some deal, but it will mean economic

reforms. it will be painful. it will be painful in the south and east. it had old soviet style industries. that will make it difficult as well. the reforms will be painful. it will mean getting rid of a bloated government, government administration trying to modernize industry and we may see the problems we saw in greece when it tried to modernize to bring itself up to european standards. ukraine has a long way to go. it won't be easy by a long shot. the country is close to bankruptcy. this is the only way they could set a budget. it's on hold, and it may need a lot of money, a lot of money quickly. >> thank you for being with us. >> former president jimmy carter is looking to ease tensions in venezuela, and plans to meet

with the country's president and opposition leaders when he visits. the state department expelled three american diplomats from the u.s., weeks of anti-government protests killed 13. many venezuelans are upset about the economy. >> issue, crime fuelled the recent protests. in january prices rose 3% over the previous month. the annual inflation is 66%. prices rise daily, and there are shortages of basic food items. >> our daily routine is not to go to the gym or cinema, but to go to one shot or another. i go to one. i go to another, and they have sugar. no butter, serial or flour.

there's no this or that. >> every venezuelan is forced to find ways to cope. the u.s. demrar is where they seek stability. with the official change rate, a vibrant black market developed, paying more. what we have is 80,000 bolavardis worth $1,000 u.s. there's $1,000. that is worth that. 6.3 of the official exchange rate, 80 on the unofficial black market rate. >> carrying large amounts of cash is a problem. a dollar shorting affected import. the showrooms are empty. with nothing to set, the manager has not come to work. >> everything is short-term. we don't think what will happen

next year, we think about next week or next month. i don't think about saving. that's out of the question. >> the economy here is not abstract. it affects everyone, every day. simply cups of coffee is a challenge. the official rate costs more than $3. the unofficial rate less than $0.20. it cost more this week than last. the opposition is kali calling n end to currency controls. government schemes ensure the poor are fed and the rich have their own ways to cope. >> the opposition has come mostly from venezuela's middle classes. the frustration spilling into anger. >> the pope is appealing for

peace in the region. the group plans to respond to an israeli attack. lebanon stayed media reported air strikes mere the border on monday. the military didn't comment on the attack, but said there was some air force activity. hezbollah is active on the border area and says the aggression will not go upnoticed. >> bitcoin may be on the virtue of collapse. investors say hundreds of millions is missing after a center shut down. >> at alex's nightclub in manhattan, he takes credit cards and cash, but he likes bitcoin. they are a digital currency traded online with virtually no

regulation with government or the central bank. investors manage it through exchanges. the industry turned on its head when the company stopped trading. >> it's like a bank closing its doors without warning. if you log on to the website you'll see this statement saying it's shut down to protect users. that has not satisfied some customers, who travelled to folkio to find out where their money was. >> i had 611 bitcoins, warth around $200,000. looks like it's disappeared. >> many are missing, worth $350 million. it's raising concerns for financial regulators. state security officials are watching this. bit coins are now a high-risk investment. >> the disappearance made the price of copies more volatile.

bitcoins lost two-thirds of their value in the last three month the. >> bit copies are cheap. i can buy more up. >> with a dozen customers using the currency, lik ten design is banking on bit coins. >> joining us to help us understand bit copy and the collapse is joe run dal ahead of draining. good morning. what is bitcoin and what is the big deal? >> bitcoin is a new phenomena, a virtual currency allowing people to trade with each other and the key is it's easy to move around, there's little regulation and the price is set by demand and supply. it has captured the imagination,

but is thoughing that it's very, very high risk. >> the mentioned it had no regulation. tokyo is talking about regulating bitcoin. for this reason, should they? >> i think there should be some players of regulation. the industry is moving faster than they can keep up. the next raping of virtual currencies will have a new set of characteristics outside the regulatory control. they'll always play catch up and react to the issues and it's a very fast-paced industry. >> i think the problem here, and

this is speculation is hackers made is difference. the new range, and i expect there'll be a bitcoin too or another competitor will have the security gaps closed down. the trading of them will move away from companies into a new exchange in marketplace. the regulators will be regulating it. the new form of currencies would be regulated in a different way. >> bitcoin is a volatile currency. the value increased from about $30 to a year ago in december. today it's about $580. how do you expect the price to react to the closure of the

change? >> i think we'll see volatility. a lot of people has been dragged into bitcoin. i expect a lot of nonserious investors in the product will sell and take profits or cut their losses now. that will put doup ward pressure -- downward pressure on it. i expect the price to recover as the merchance and backers -- merchants and backers get back in. i think there's a future for virtual currencies, it will be volatile and uncertainty. >> thank you joe for joining us this morning. the world health organization says china is dealing with a pollution crisis. pollution levels are so high it's increasing the risk of lung cancer. scientists say it's slowing

plant growth which could hurt the food supply. chinese citizens have been urged to stay indoors in the past few weeks. chinese officials say they are working on solutions. >> general motors doubling the number of cars involved in a recall. the fatal flaw impacting a million and a half cars. >> they are cooking with bottled water. >> life after a chemical civil in west virginia. business owners wonder if everything will get back to normal, and who is responsible. >> citrus farms - farmers worried they could lose their businesses forof. --

>> you are getting a live look at times square in new york city where it's 27 degrees this morning. >> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford. >> coming up a look at the impact that the chemical spill in west virginia is having on local businesses. first a look at the forecast

with meteorologist eboni deon. >> it will be another cold one. this morning the cold air made its way all the way down into texas, where we are watching out for a bit of sleet and freezing rain around st. angelo. temperatures, 12 upwards to 20 degrees. this time yesterday. negotiation to the rain, it's further inland. we could see the freezing rain. we are not expecting to see a lot as far as accumulation. into the upper midwest, we are dealing with that. the next several days. temperatures below average. that's why we have widespread chills in place. it will be gold with windchills reaching as close as 40 below zero. bundle up. blizzard in the area shaded in

pink. along the gulf coast. it is soggy. we have been dealing with thunderstorm activities, and the western u.s. finally seeing a change. it will be a welcome change. a few scattered showers, but the real storm coming in friday and saturday. into the mountains, dealing with snow, 12 upwards to 24 inches around the sierra nevada, and 3-6 inches of rain near los angeles. >> thank you. california's most recognisable landmark hits an unwanted milestone. 46 people committed suicide jumping off of san francisco's golden gate bridge, the highest number since the bridge was built in 1937. the previous high was 40 in 1977. for years advocates called for barricades on the bridge.

>> a connected killer has been executed in missouri. michael taylor was found guilty of abducting, raping and murdering a kansas city teenager 25 years ago. the supreme court did not block the move. the state has been criticised for the use of a new drug cocktail. witnesses say there were no obvious signs of distress. >> during two months after a toxic spill in west virginia, some residents are not drinking the water. it's having a huge economic impact. >> when keeley learnt the drinking water in carlestone was contaminated she acted quickly to keep customers coming back. she knew she could not rely on tap water. >> they are cooking with bottled water.

we brought commercial water pumps so the coffee makers run on bottled water. she is spending $5,000 extra to her customers have bottled water, and she says she's paying the price of mismanagement. on 9 january one of the tanks, at the freedom industries facility sprung a leak and a chemical, crude m.c.h.m., poured into the river and water supply of 300,000 residents. >> charleston mayor, danny jones, are furious the owners of the chemical company filed for bankruptcy. now almost impossible for the charleston residents to sue. >> the damage to our brand is something that will be carried on for years. >> charleston spent $50 million

revitalizing the downtown economy. it's feared that news of the chemical lack and tainted water will drive away the hope of future investment and tourism dollars. >> west virginia's fate has been tied to the coal industry. keeley expect little will happen to those responsible for the spill. she says state politicians turn a blindeye to safety regulations to attract jobs. >> all we have is special interest. i feel like they must have the idea that they brought a certain amount of preprevious. i'm not naive enough to doubt that that is the case. for now, thousands are left to

absorb the costs and reflect on big business. >> 7500 gallons of chemicals leaked into the elk river from a ruptured storage tank. >> general motors is expanding a recall because of a dangerous emission problems, for vehicles between 2003 and 2007, including: gm recalled other vehicles earlier this month. the emission problem can turn the car off while you are driving, and has been blamed tore 13 deaths. washington will be watching. >> here is where we stand this morning. the dow opened at 16, 179:

>> bank of america is facing regulatory probes. it may have to pay penalties for misconduct involving credit card debt. federal and international regulators are looking into whether the bank violated protocols. >> morgan stanley reached a settlement with the securities and exchange commission over its role in the subprime crisis. >> if approved the bank will pay 275 million to resolve allegations that it misled investors. >> dozens killed in nigeria at a

school, all boys. allegedly by boko haram. we take a closer look at the group labelled terrorists. >> pressure is mounting on the arizona governor, as she decides whether to sign a law that discriminates among some gay people. >> in college basketball. which state has gone where no other has gone before?

>> good morning to you. welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm morgan radford, and these are the top stories. president obama issues an ultimatum to afghan president hamid karzai - sign a security deal or the u.s. will pull out all troops by the end of this

year. ukraine's parliament has until tomorrow to put together a new settlement. this after russia suspended its offer for a $15 billion bailout. >> the biggest bitcoin exchange shut down. tokyo based exchange went offline on foos. reports say 750,000 bitcoins worth 350 million are missing. >> governor breuer has until saturday to decide whether to sign a bill. potentially it will cost the state billions. it allows business owners to deny customers based on religious ground. the governor is being asked to veto the measure. >> the opposition has been loud where the legislate your made the state look bad. >> this woman helped to organise

the rally. >> this bill is particular. it's out of step with the people. >> opponents in the legislature described the bill as a trojan horse. >> it's discrimination upped the guise of religious fleed om. >> written by the christian legal organization, alliance defending freedom, says a person or corporation can deny service to a customer based on religious belief. >> if you have a jewish saying serve a christian wedding on the sab ath, you won't have to. or a photographer to use their talent at a same-sex commitment ceremony, they don't have to do that. the governor would not say which way she's leading. >> many arizonans are asking if

it represents what the state thought. >> is that the state that denied a martin luther king holiday, wanted to kick out the mexicans... >> it's feared that the state will lose business. a customer said he would cancel $10,000 worth of business if the business became law. >> some ask what would happen if football fans decided to stay home, rather than come to the super bowl at the university of phoenix stadium. >> scott has been printing science for businesses to display, declaring they are open for business. >> the bill passes, you are open for business. if it's vetoed, you are open for business. >> support for the bill is crumb n bling among the legislators.

>> it's a vote we regret taking. we are here to make it right. >> if the governor vooetos, the damage may be done. >> arizona's two u.s. senators republican john mccain and jeff flake urnal the governor to veto the bill. flake says it will have a devastating impact on the economy. >> a newspaper responded by publishing a list of names, the nailings's 200 top gays -- . many gaye citizens are fleeing the country. uganda's president signed a bill making homosexuality a crime. >> an african nation, nigeria

made a similar claim. 15 men were mobbed in the capital. we sat with a man who said it was the target of one of those attacks. >> john says he was lucky to survive when he escaped a mob that came into his neighbourhood looking for homosexuals. he asked us not to reveal his identity. he's afraid of being attacked. >> no homosexuals. we will kill them. they beat this guy to almost dead. until he could not retaliate. >> john believed the attack happened because antigay laws meant people don't report to the miss, can go to gaol for up to 10 years, and said the police joined in the violence.

the police attacked them. since the government had this law. >> despite requests, the police refused to respond. >> these are some of the houses that the gay men fled. one attack wrote, "no more homosexuals - pack and leave", it's a view held by most. 92% of people who responded to a question support the laws. human rights organizations say the new laws makes violence against gays worse. this shows two men beaten to death. an example of the kinds of violence that the gay people hear can face. >> and apart from violence, diplomats are proponents.

>> this puts restrictions on the freedoms of association and speech. once you limit certain areas, we see this already having an affect on health projects. sadly we see health workers afraid of going into the clinics. >> john and others can't return to their homes because they are worried. the only thing they can do is challenge the new law in court on the grounds that it's unconstitutional. >> 60 teenage boys have been killed. fighters from the group boko haram are said to be responsible. male and female students were separated. the girls told to go home and the boys shot and stabbed to death. 1,000 people have been killed across the region.

nigeria in the u.s. designated the group a terrorist organization. the senior researcher at amnesty international. he joins us from london. more than 500 were killed in the last few months. so far one of the three nigerian states declared a state of emergency. what can you tell us about boko haram, and the recent attacks. >> thank you for having me. theest lambist -- the islamist group means western education is forbidden. they started in 2003. between that period up to 2009. they were preaching from the establishment, the elite of

nigeria, breaching against corruption and social unjustice, and preached against the activities of the government in nigeria. in 2009 they got into an argument with the nigerian police force. a number of them were shot and injured. the header issued a warning, a video warning to the police that they were going to take revenge. they were arrested, interrogated and he was killed in police custody. a video was circulated of his dead body on the ground. since 2009, july, the violence has been escalating, taking a sophisticated friend and it's

deadly. a lot of people have been killed. violence has increased. lots of ordinary people. teachers have been killed. governments, walkers, police officers have been targeted. houses have been bombed. government buildings destroyed. a lot has happened and this situation does not seem to go down. >> it's taken a turn. what do you mean by that? >> well, the deadliest of the attacks increased. the arms and ammunitions used by the group has also increased and the response from the nigerian security forces increased. you will remember in may last year the government declared an emergency in the three states.

the state of emergency, the government increased efforts for fighting. this led to the use of fighter jets. we also have been receiving consistent information from our contact on the ground, from eyewitnesss about the caliber of arms and ammunitions used by the fighters, the government. we have information that makes us believe the level of sophistication has increased, and those - the number of people that have been killed - every day people have been killed. there have been attacks in remote areas that are not reported in the media. >> the in remote areas, let's talk about what is behind the attacks. you explain that boko haram

forbits westernisation. it's known for various methods of killing. you mentioned this, shootings, machetes. it was named a terrorist group and an emerging threat to the united states. what is the relationship between the nigerian government and boko haram? >> i don't know if there's a relationship between the group and the government. as far as i know, whatever relationship exists is quite n antagonistic and the government has been fighting to curtail the activities of the group, and they've been retaliating, government walkers. we thing the response of the government in towards the

violence has been heavy-handed. lots of cases of people have been unlawfully detained. some have been spuct on false disappearances. a lot of people have been executed whilst in government custody. there's an amnesty. we have been expressions deep concerns and urging the leadership of the group in boko haram, and affiliated groups to stop attacks on people. they may constitute crimes against humanity and are a violation of international law. we'll ensure that the government lives up to the national, regional human rights and standards, following due processes in the fight against boko haram.

>> thank you so much. >> joining us from london, from amnesty international. >> getting kids to eat healthier has been a major goal for michelle obama. a federal study on childhood obesity shows progress is raised. obesity rates for children 2-5 years old fell 40%. most coming in the past three to four years. obesity 14% to 8% between 2011 and 2012. the c d.c. released a statement saying: >> in college basketball a team is making a run at a perfect season. ross shimabuku has the details. >> we are going streak eye,

wicha tea state has won 29. they are looking to become the first time to start with a 13-0 record. all they had to do was beat bradley. that's what they did. ron baker was getting his groove on, racking up 15 point, baker one of four shockers, scoring in double figures. hammer bradley 69-49. the shockers the 11th team to start the season with a 13 and 0 record. fyi. the last three sets - the running rebels during the 1999 season. led by larry johnson. wich eta has a game on saturday. they are loving life. >> i told the team no team has gone in the regular season. in all the years of college basketball. that's how up do that.

all the teams and the unlb teams. it's a first. we didn't play our best, but i'm pleased with the win. >> as for the number one team - florida having issues, but downed the stretch the the gaiters manned up. >> dorian finley smith scoring a game-high. gaiters winning 57-54 to climp a chair of the scc title. raymond felton is in trouble, posting bail after being arrested on two felon gun charges. felton could play thursday night because according to the bargaining agreement, the nicks are not allowed to suspend a player because he's been arrested. he was arrested for being in possession with an unregistered gun, after getting into a dispute with his estranged life. >> arizona lost the super bowl

in 1993 because the state failed to register martin luther king state as a holiday. they are in danger of losing the super bowl. the governor considering signing a bill allowings businesses to refuse service to same-sex customers based on religious freedom. i know the host committee said: >> jameis winston is enjoying college life. yesterday he took a hat against the new york yangees, going 0 for 2. jameis winston was on cloud nine because he grew up a yankees

fan. >> a great part of the day, being out here, around a bunch of people. they beat us. we were looking forward to giving them a good game. having the opportunity to be on the same field. >> spring training getting under way. you have to love it. the boys of summer are back on the diamond. >> citrus crops are at risk. >> what is killing oranges by the millions that could send the price of juice sky

>> good morning to you, welcome back to al jazeera america. just ahead how farmers are finding a tiny parasite that has nearly wiped out fruit crops.

>> first the weather with meteorologist eboni deon. >> unfortunately we'll see a change in the weather pattern. we are dealing with a little bit of moisture, and watching another storm system that is getting together. as it develops it will head eastward, bringing more rain. it will push a little further south. fortunately we need the rain fall. we are dealing with dry conditions. we'll deal with the threat of flooding. heading out across the gulf coast, it is stormy for mariners. lightening and snow across the mitt atlantic region. into the citrus season looking more sour. the small parasite costing billions in profits. al jazeera reports that she met

up with a farmer concerned about the crop. >> citrus growers are worried there'll come a time they can't keep orange juice flowing. >> each day after a walk through the grows bes mix grows. this man is a third generation of hunts brothers. all he sees is dead or dying trees on the 5,000 acres. >> it's heart breaking. it's like seeing someone us love sick. you are doing everything you know to do and the trees are sick and dying. >> the insects are decimating the florida citrus industry. they are spreading citrus greening. it's killing trees from florida, to texas, to california. there's no cure and researchers have not found a way to control it. >> it's estimated that citrus greening affected 75% of all

trees, costing $4.5 billion and 8,000 jobs. they are a few years old. >> without a cure and an effective way to manage it, it's an existential effect to the industry. >> researchers predict large organization, like the hunt brothers with the resources about ultimately survive. at the research and education center, researchers feel the panic and pain of the citrus growers and the pressure of time. as each harvest yields millions fewer orange boxes, they know the industry cannot afford to wait years. through cross breeding they have grown healthy trees. the research is in the stermental stage. crowers do not want to wait.

fruit stocks are available in two years. >> it's indicative of the desperation of the florida citrus grows that they are willing to take a risk. there's not much choice. >> inside the packing plant it's too soon to know how many fewer cartons will shift this year. what haunts him is if he can survive the citrus cleaning plague. >> check this out, a californian couple literally struck gold while walking their dog, finding rare coins. it was buried near a tree on their property. including 1400 gold coins in mint condition. they plan to sell them on amazon. >> the '60s were a defining

decade. a 12 month period changed everything. david shuster told us it began with an iconic moment in sport. 50 years ago cassius clay won a heavy wait carbon beating sonny liston by a knockout. more shocking is what cassius clay said afterwards. >> never talk about who is going to stop me. >> sonny liston never knew what hit him, neither did the world. cassius clay's bravado was the beginning. the next month he embraced islam and became muhammad ali. it was a knockpout punch to the american culture. in august 1963, martin luther king's battle for civil right, a president assassinated months later and living room witnesses when a suspect killer was gunned down, surrounded by dallas police. for the national psyche there

was little resolution in 1964, when the commission doctoreded that lee harvey oswald killed kennedy. at the time few believed the report, and it accelerated the erosion of fate. lyndon johnson, the new president, ushered in more change, signing the equality bill into act. then he introduced vietnam to the national vocabulary? the transformative year the ground was laid for a controversial law. it lead to a torpedo boat attack on a u.s. destroyer. congress passed the gulf of taftin resolution, allowing him to declare a war. >> there was a cultural

invasion. >> sex appeal and rock and role would not be the same. >> the world, good and bad was in colour. >> getting a colour television set was a sign of success. times were changing. thanks to the folk musician. an art yist, and an image of road rebellion. >> each played out against a backdrop of stunning news. the murder, student protests, and riots in harlem. at the time no one knew what it meant. in hindsight it stands as an era of the '60s began, and america would never be the same. >> now our own del walters is

here with a look at the headlines. >> here is a look at the stories we are following - president obama drawing the line in the sand, telling afghan president hamid karzai he is ready to pull all u.s. out of the country by the end of the year if hamid karzai doesn't sign off on a deal. >> ukrainian lawmakers say they'll have a new government formed tomorrow. it is crucial. >> children are slimming down. a trop beesity rates. in the next hour. the state department expelling diplomats. they are affect -- >> and school makers dreams coming true, getting a leg up on what comes ahead.

>> arctic air - how cold it will feel as you start your day. >> al jazeera news conditions. dell and i are back with you in 2.5 minutes.

>> blunt warning after more than a decade of fighting in afghanistan, the president telling hamid karzai troops will be pulled out within 10 months if there is no security deal on the table. >> a dramatic drop i have not obesity rates for children while the number of adults jumped significantly. >> expelling three venezuela diplomats one week after they did the same. how this game of tag is impacting diplomatic ties.

>> my long term goal is to be better than quentin tarantino as a director. >> how one group of students is keeping a sharp focus on their bright futures through lessons and film making. >> good morning and welcome to aljazeera america. i'm del walters. >>ic morgan radford. after months of negotiations on a security agreement, president obama is issuing an ultimate item to the afghanistan president, sign the deal or the u.s. is pulling troops by the end of the year. >> that stalemate is creating a showdown with huge consequences for both countries. >> u.s. president obama has left negotiating with hamid karzai to his staff but picked up the phone tuesday to send him a personal warning. he was told that while the u.s.

wants to stay in afghanistan after 2014, they've given up hope that karzai will sign security agreement providing u.s. forces legal protection. more than 12 years after the invasion, the u.s. has started planning for the so-called zero option, a complete withdrawal. also warning there will be consequences the longer he delays. >> the further we go without a signed agreement, any contemplative 2014 mission would be necessarily limited in scale and ambition, because of the requirements of planning for that troop presence. >> mark jacobsen said that could mean 3,000 u.s. troops stay, largely in kabul and bag ram. >> that's going to enable you to operate drones, enable some semblance of working with afghan special forces, as well.

that's about it. >> that is karzai's trump card. if drones continue, u.s. troops have to be in afghanistan. >> if the president wants to decide on the zero option, he will get pushback from the military and members of congress who fear what happens in afghanistan, but the american public will probably be much more oh for giving. 66% of those believe the war in afghanistan was not worth fighting. >> those people would be more than happy to see the billions in aid promised to afghanistan kept in the u.s. and that is the american trump card. it's not just a question of if the afghan forces can take on the taliban and win, but can the government pay them to stay in the fight. aljazeera, washington. >> for the past 12 years, the u.s. military has fought in afghanistan, it began 26 days after september 11 with 1300 troops but by august of 2010,

100,000 troops. just 33,000 troops remain. >> things are moving fast in ukraine and kiev, the parliament putting together a new cabinet. the elite police unit has been disbanded. not everyone in ukraine is happy with the changes, especially in the southern part of the country. many people feel more russian than ukrainian, how is the story developing there? >> this has been a russian port since the 18th century and is vastly more russian really than ukrainian. the people here were very, very aggravated this morning, they actually are heading to the regional parliament here.

they made clear they're very unhappy with the developments in kiev. >> you feel left out, like they didn't ask you. >> yes. they just follow their direction. now we will fight. yeah. >> what many people here are very upset about is kiev voted to make ukrainian the official language, say that go mar begannallizes them severely, because everyone here speaks russian. they are flying the russian flag here today. they are saying they are behind vladimir putin and part of russia and what's happening in kiev has nothing to do with them. >> russia suspend that go $15 billion to ukraine, but in the west, officials like secretary of state john kerry and the e.u.'s catherine ashton of declaring their support for ukraine during this transitional

period. what can they do for the country and what does the country want? >> the country needs a lot of money. ukraine's economy is in shambles. it was only a $15 billion that russia promised ukraine in december that allowed it to form a budget for this year. it was about $11 billion in deficit this year. the new government in kiev said the country is going to need about $35 billion over the next two years just to survive. the i.m.s. is working on a plan along with the european union and united states, saying they're going to try and help but can't do anything until there is a government in place because an official government hahas to those kind of requests and the e.u. and i.m.f. can't negotiate with anything other than official governments. they need a prim minister, a cabinet and that's all underway. it's supposed to be in place by thursday but still a long road ahead for ukraine. >> all right, jennifer glasse in ukraine, thank you very much. in our next hour, we will be taking a closer look at

ukraine's former prime minister and her role in shape that go countries future. these are live images coming out of parliament in ukraine and as you can see, the tensions there still exist. also viktor yanukovych still a man on the run. >> the u.s. state department is expelling three venezuelan diplomats, just days after a group of american officials are expelled from caracas. the move are the called retaliation. recent anti government demonstrations killed 15 and wounded dozens more. >> the u.s. is accused of being involved in those protests and the two country's haven't exchanged ambassadors since 2010. the carter center has mediated talks with venezuela in the past, including during a 2002 coup that unseated president

chavez. he is expected to visit in april. >> the obama administration considering ways to revamp the nsa program. the president is considering four options, a plan to have the phone companies store data with the nsa, having a government agency other than than the nsa hold the data, like the f.b.i. or putting in the hands of an entity that doesn't have roles with the government. >> 4 million signups have happened in obamacare since last month. the president hopes to meet an unofficial goal by the end of march. enrollment had gotten off to a pretty slow start in october last year because of several glitches in the one site. some states encountered problems, as well. one state is california, it's marketplace had a potential security flaw in the security

system. the error was only revealed recently, more than three months after the site launched. officials say no consumer information was compromised. >> the president and house speaker john boehner say they are looking to find common ground after butting heads over the years, both men sitting down in the oval office for their first one and one meeting since 2012. they say the their meeting was constructive, they discussed immigration reform, the affordable care act, california's drought and flood insurance. analysts say it is unlikely we will see any breakthroughs because of the upcoming mid term elections. >> house speakers will vote to increase the federal minimum wage today, kicking off an official petition drive. if enough sign i did, it will force a floor vote on raising the wage even if the gop objects. last week, the congress budget office reported the raise will cost the american economy half a million jobs, although boosting

wages for more than 16 million low income workers. >> today house republicans will unveil plans for a tax plan already declared dead on arrival. the kentucky republican said he sees no hopes for major tax overhaul this year. he blames democrats, who he says wants to recognize $1 trillion in revenue. he said changes in the tax code should make the company more competitive, not raise more money for the government. >> looking at the weather front, the west could be seeing rain today. >> definitely changes on the way. that is not the case unfortunately here across the upper midwest where the cold air is locked in place, so our cold weather woes continue with a wind chill warning in place across the u.p. of michigan where it could get 40 below zero in the overnight hours. today, we have high pressure that continues to build in, drawing down that arctic air

mass into the southern plains and spreading to the east. here in texas, temperatures at much as 20 degrees colder than this time yesterday, so in addition to the rain and thunderstorm activity, we're seeing along the gulf coast further inland, we are seeing patchy, in land rain for slick roadways. in the western u.s., it's fairly quiet especially across southern areas of california. the cloud cover is increasing. we expect scattered showers north to the bay area. the next couple of days we'll have storm after storm developing over the pacific pushing further east bringing us even more beneficial rainfall. here's the outlook through today, we are expected to see some rain, scattered rain showers but as we look ahead into saturday, our next storm system friday into saturday brings the heavy rainfall all the way down into the los angeles area. higher elevations will be dealing with the snow. four to 6,000 feet, we are

expecting to see at least 12 to 24 inches of snow and around l.a. could see four to six inches. beneficial rain could cause flooding concerns. back to you. >> arrested drug lord guzman will remain in mexico where he'll face charges there. the mexican government has put off a playoff to extradite him to the united states. he was captured over the weekend. he escaped prison in 2001 and became one of the biggest drug traffickers in the world. >> michael taylor was found guilty of abducting raping and murdering a kansas city teenager as she waited for her school bus 25 years, abthe supreme court refusing any last minute appeals, his lawyer arguing his injection would be painful. the state is using a new drug cocktail not approved by the

f.d.a. there were no signs i have his distress during his execution. >> residents are warned from using water from the dan river until testing. they urge residents not to eat from the river, either. a duke energy power plant leaked more than 80,000 tons of sludge into the river. the federal government is launching a criminal investigation now into the spill. >> there have been huge strides made in the battle against childhood obesity, our children slimming down. >> we're talking about preschool age kids. >> that's right, toddlers, kindergarteners, kids ages two to five. it's a significant age group, because doctors say children who are overweight that young are more likely to be overweight as duties. let's show you the strides made in the last decade. obesity rates for children dropped 43% from 14% 10 years ago to about 8% between 2011 and 2012. food and health activists are

praising the progress. >> what's amazing is that it seems like some of the initiatives happening are actually working. whether that's parents buying and serving food to their children or early intervention, things like breastfeeding and the reduction of sugary drinks are actually working, which is great news for the whole country. >> whatever the reason may be, much of the drop in childhood obesity has come in the past few years and it's probably not a coincidence that this week marks mitchell obama's fourth offers of the lets move campaign. she weighed in on this part of the survey saying she is thrilled at the progress. >> she's thrilled at the progress but there's a dark underbelly. it wasn't all positive. >> the c.d.c. did have bad news to report, as well. older children 6-11 as well as teenagers virtually made no problem at all.

in fact, both age groups are just under 20% obese. >> this is not the end of it. the government actually announcing other steps yesterday to combat childhood obesity. >> regulations proposed that would ban in-school advertising for foods that are high in sugar, fat, salt, talking about junk food. that may seem like a no-brainer, but food and drinks are advertised in 70% of elementary and middle schools across the country as well as 90% of high schools. bottom line here, the feds just want to make sure the messages going to kids in schools are healthy ones. >> thank you. >> ahead in our next hour, we'll be talking to a nutritionist about the findings of the study and what it means also for the battle over obesity. >> there is mounting support for a casino north of boston, voters approving the construction of a $1.3 billion resort in their city. an earlier proposal had the

casino sitting on the boston border, but east boston residents shot it down, setting up a proposal to build a $1.6 billion resort. the gaming commission expects to award that license june 30. >> today's headlines making news around the world, the pittsburgh post gazette said there is a huge pile of melting ice on the river, raising fears of flooding. >> if you have ever heard those ice jams when they break, it literally sounds like somebody is setting off dine mitt on a river and it causes the water to flow over the banks and into whoever's house is close to the river. it's a terrible situation there. >> also the australian say that go qantas airlines is nearing a government debt deal including laid foreign ownership laws, a lot of airlines looking at buying that out. foreign airlines can hold 35%,

total for an ownership is capped at 49 in qantas. >> the federal government would pay any of that outstanding loan. they dominate the party scene, have the nba's best team and now want to corner the market in the sunscreen. they will put its name and logo on a new sunscreen. >> the bottle will sell for $15. that is an $11.5 billion industry. >> unbelievable. >> that little logo, what it means. >> caught in the middle of the clash in thailand, why the u.n. is issuing a warning to bangkok over ongoing protests there. >> as tensions rise between the u.s. and venezuela, caracas toward a shift in dim low mattic ties. >> our big number today, for an

entrepreneur, it's a huge bump in his bank account.

real reporting that brings you the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong.

>> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> you're looking at a live shot of times square right here in the heart of new york city on this very busy wednesday morning. good morning, welcome to aljazeera america, i'm morgan radford. >> it's been two weeks since protests began in venezuela. >> later this hour, a school right here in new york city helping students create their own films.

>> two men convicted of killing that british soldier in broad daylight will be sentenced this morning. >> tensions rise with the west over the fate of ukraine. president vladimir putin ordered troop drills across western russia where the country shares a border with ukraine. ukraine leaders say the country is ready for talks, but reforming a government is their top priority. nick shiffrin reports just miles from the russian border where ties to the kremlin are still very strong. >> through the gaze of the man who founded the soviet union, ukraine's youth are playing an old game just with new rules. this is a pro-russian city. these teenagers know for the first time, their team doesn't lead the government so are figuring out how to rally from behind. there were rumors the statue was

coming down, as it does in half a dozen other cities. they are ready to prevent that from happening. >> the town thinks this is our history and nobody can destroy it. >> 17-year-old max said his heart is are russia but knows ukraine's future is with the west, which he is not against. >> dreams of being with great britain. >> those western dreams scare an older generation who grew up soviet. these women interrupted our conversation to give max a ribbon that celebrates soviet soldiers who died in word war two. >> were you worried about what he would say? >> that's exactly why. this woman calls over a rather embarrassed max and demands he tells her what he already told us and started wagging her finger at me. she's worried i'm spreading anti

russian lies and is worried the russian generation is forgetting how much they owe to their soviet grandparents. >> do you think the people over there are forgetting the history. >> she agrees, but they've already forgotten, she says. it's hard to forget when the monument in the middle of town is 70 feet tall. this city was ukraine's first soviet capital. 65-year-old alexander brings his grandson to make sure he knows his history, but in this family, the present matters just as much as the past. >> we should reward our history, but we don't have to be tied to this history and be its hostage. that's where victoria comes in with her boyfriend, she acknowledges that ukraine needs new leadership but says the younger generation can bridge the east-west divide, in part, because she's lived on both

sides. >> i live in west ukraine, now here, and i am ukraine. i am not from east, i am not from west, i am ukraine, and i don't want separate my country. >> right now, they still agree on their history and their heroes. in kiev, they honor the people who died last week. here, they're still honoring the people who died decades ago. >> this town remains deeply pro russian and very much against what's happening in kiev, but still will stop short of advocating any kind of separation. all they want to make sure is in the coming days, weeks and months, they are represented in the new government. >> ukraine's parliament called in the international court to prosecute yanukovych. he faces a warrant for his arrest over the deaths of dozens of protestors in kiev.

joining us to discuss unrest is research associate with the canadian institute of ecraneian studies at the university of alberta. thanks for being with us. first, vladimir putin ordered troops in central and western russia to be ready for combat. what do you make of that? >> not very much. this is just flexing his muscle. it doesn't need to intervene from outside, it has troops nearby. so there's plenty of potential trouble makers as it were on the ground in crimea and russian intelligence officers military and f.s.b. have been long

involved in promoting accept are a activities groups and otherses in the air. >> i don't think an external military intervention is likely. there's enough sort of people and potential trouble makers on the ground already. >> you call it an exaggerated threat, but let's talk about the leadership. e.u. officials met on tuesday, this all as the e.u., u.s. and i.m.s. consider bailouts for ukraine. does that mean that she's seen and it is unofficial country's next leader? >> i don't think so. she has gone to germany or is about to go for medical treatment, she is long overdo. her political party, father land party is a member of the central

european people's party, the biggest group in the european parliament. she's had relations with brussels and statberg. i think she will be one of two. she will have a tom pain against the boxer that he comes at somebody who has earned his own money, hasn't been involved in corruption, where she does have baggage. i think that part that have baggage is not only her involvement in the energy sector in the 1990's, but she was part of a very discredited orange team a decade ago. >> let's take a listen to a comment from britain's foreign

secretary. >> it is important for economic reform to take place for a culture of corruption over many years to be tackled effectively. >> given what he called the pervasive culture of corruption, there's also a corruption shroud surrounding her. can she lead the country, can she lead? >> she was accused in 2011 on political grounds. she was sentenced for a bad political decision that allegedly was made during the 2009 gas contract signed with russia. the allegation of corruption against her are more to do with the 1990's when she was allied to prime minister who was jim prisoned in the u.s. for about six years and was released a couple of years ago. the allegations are not something new. they've been around for a long time.

allegation of corruption are pervasive throughout ukraine's political class. this is not something that she fears. >> this is nothing new. >> no, it's not new. the boxer made money from sports. >> sure, he was a boxer. >> all of the other political forces in one way or another have drown in corruption, all political parties in ukraine don't get money from membershipp dues. they get it from money in offshore zones. that lack of transparency within the political system has been there for a long time. there's a need to separate and break bonds between business and politics and there's certainly a need to fight corruption. no ukrainian leader, none of the four presidents of ukraine have ever had the political will to fight corruption and hencey ukraine is described by transparency international the

n.g.o. watchdog on corruption as the most corrupt country in europe, so it's a massive task for any clit approximately leadership. >> china has a pollution crisis, levels so high it increases the risk of lung cancer there. it can slow plant growth and hurt the food supply. citizens there have been urged to stay indoors and wear face masks if they go outside. chinese officials are working on solutions to their smog problem. >> a newspaper in uganda responding to the strict new laws against gays and lesbians by printing the names of what it calls the nation's top 200 gays. it has raised fears of anti gay violence with some calling it a which hunt. a lot of citizens are fleeing in fear for their lives. on monday, the president signed a bill making homosexuality a

crime. >> boys have been killed in nigeria, fighters responsible. they say the male and female students separated, the girls told to go home, the boys shot and stabbed to death. the school was burned to the ground with students locked inside. nigeria and the u.s. designating that group as a terrorist organization. >> an arms deal between iraq and iran is causing concern. baghdad signed to major arms deal with tehran. the white house said tuesday it has raised the issue with message of the iraqi government. the documents show iran agree to send arms and ammunition worth $195 million to neighboring iraq. an iraqi presidential spokes american didn't confirm but said iraq has the right to purchase

weapons from any country to fight what it calls terrorists. >> a group of american officials were expelled from caracas and america has expelled venezuelas. the move is called retaliation. >> many months ago, that could include an exchange of ambassadors, but venezuela needs to show seriousness for us to move forward. recent actions including expelling three of our diplomats continue to make that difficult. >> 15 people have been killed in anti-government demonstrations, dozens more injured. the venezuela president alleging u.s. involvement. those two countries have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010. the president calling for a national peace conference, what can he hope to accomplish?

>> i hope that the country's very polarized, and they need to really see if they can, the government and opposition get together and try to devise a new economic plan for the country, because the country's doing really bad economically and that's the time for them to do that. >> is there a sense that these protests in venezuela and excuse me for being so blunt, make any sense, because both sides are calling for things that may be impossible for the government to achieve. >> i don't think that it's impossible. with economic policy. they have imposed price controls, they are running out of the foreign exchange, and

they really need to do something immediately -- >> i guess the question i'm asking is can they achieve the things protestors want in the time frame they are setting fort, which is as soon as possible or now. >> they can take a first step, right, depending on the protest. if you look at the more polarized section of the protest, they want a change in the government and that's likely to happen. if you want a greater input on economic policy, that's something that might be possible if the cool minds prevail in this process. >> the president maintaining that the u.s. has had involvement in this unrest in venezuela. given the history of the c.i.a. in south america, should his claims be so easily and ready dismissed? >> i don't think so, but there

hasn't been really proved that the u.s. is involved at this time. we have for better or worse a government here in the u.s. it's a president that is aloof and government aloof specifically in latin america, and. >> so you think it plays better to the base as opposed to playing well in reality. >> the anti american sentiment is always going to be exploited in these situations. >> what about the exchange of diplomats. should the u.s. be playing this rather high stakes game of tit for tat? >> i think this in the end is smoke, in my opinion. if you look at the relationship between the u.s. and venezuela, strong economically. all the oil of all exported venezuela has, it's 40% goes to

the u.s. they import about 30% of all its imports, 30% from the u.s. venezuela is very closely related economically to the u.s., so they can play the diplomatic game, but if you look at the bottom line, the economy, their economies are really, really tied. the west depends on venezuela has diminished quite a bit. now we export, import 6% of all the oils from venezuela, but venezuela's still very much reliant on the u.s. economy. they can play the diplomatic games but the bottom line, these two countries are too close when it comes to economically. >> the leader of the protest said he wants them to continue. how dangerous is what he's calling for? >> how dangerous what lopez is calling for? >> yes. >> he has a history of more radical leaning.

he was involved in the 2002 attempt coup, and he really represents a more radical opposition, and, you know, the military in venezuela's very united, there haven't been any signs that close alliance between the military and government has had any cracks, so i really don't think as of now that lopez represents a threat to the government. >> let's play ball, the boys of summer are back on the diamond and someone you might see on the major league lineup this season. >> spring training games

officially get underway today. the l.a. dodgers have star power with kershaw, camp, puig plus the highest pay day in all of baseball. >> we choose our path in life. at 18 years old, zack lee was a highly touted quarterback and received a football scholarship to l.s.u. the two sport star was also one of the top pitchers in the 2010 amateur baseball draft and selected by the l.a. dodgers for the 28 pick in the first round. >> i made a decision that at that point in my career was very pivotal. >> zack initially decided on football after enl.s.u. in 2010. he had a change of heart and signed with the dodgers after l.a. gave him a franchise record $5.25 million signing bonus, shattering the previous mark of

2.3 million, given the first round to kershaw in 2006. >> once i made that decision, it was one of the things that i didn't want to look back. i didn't want regrets. i didn't want to make the decision and think what if. if you think what if, you're kind of taking away from now. if it comes down the road where i have to change sports which hopefully it never does, we can look at that point later. >> it appears that zack made the right decision, because the 22-year-old right-hander that dominated his way through the dodgers minor league system. for the first time in his career, he was invited to join the big boys at spring training. >> i'm pretty confident going in. i'm trying to go in with the mindset of trying to win a job with the big league club. as a kid, you imagine yourself in that role as far as being able to perform. >> while zack could have been in his senior season at l.s. awe,

he has a chance to major the major league with the dodgers. >> they open up spring training later today. the diamondbacks and dodgers start the regular season with two games march 22 and march 23. $5 million to sign on the dotted line, play baseball. >> students at one high school taking on the role of film makers, how that creative outlettuce helping them further their educational careers. >> former president george w. bush showing off his artistic side. how he plan to say showcase his new post presidential passion. >> in our next hour, south korea's president has a blueprint to reunify the north and south. what's behind it and whether it will work. o it.

>> light snow is falling in the nation's capitol this morning, the threat of things to come for many of us. >> good morning welcome back. >> let's find out where it is going to snow and rain today. good morning. >> good morning, we are dealing with the rain along the gulf coast. it has been a coggie and stormy start to the day and we expect rain to make its way across the southwest. lots of cloud cover, that's going to bring showers into the bay area. it's this area of low pressure that will track toward the southeast and east bringing the rain and even snow into the los angeles area. mountainous areas could see two to three feet across the higher peaks. here's a close up view of the ongoing storms. rain will taper off, conditions

will improve. it's been snow in d.c. this morning. that is lifting northward and we have light snow about newark eventually into new york way but we are not expecting a lot. it will bring our visibility down, so watch out for that. snow wrapping up across the midwest more coming in though overnight. >> teenagers spend more than 100 hours a month watching videos according to the u.s. department of health and human services, but now, students in the bronx borough of new york are doing more than just watching at the country's first film high school. >> take two. >> these budding film makers are learning the tools of the trade. >> how does it look on the big camera? >> for two weeks, they put on their director's hat. this is the cinema school, a selective public high school that specializes in film training alongside a traditional

liberal arts education. >> besides all the camera work, angles and rules, i've learned motor importantly like how to break them correctly, how to be able to break the rules so that your film can be more you. i've learned that films need a lot of patience. >> a virtue many pick up the hard way their freshman year during their mandatory animation course. screen writing, music video, story telling are all parts of the curriculum. by graduation, they've completed 200 original media projects, a privilege they earn maintaining an 85g.p.a. technical skills are part of the equation. >> short term goals are getting into college, getting a degree. >> the biggest reason for the destruction of the economy of the south -- >> the real lesson is empowerment. last year, senior class had a 100% graduation rate.

>> you trust them to make the right decisions, give them a very expensive piece of skim and say you are worthy of this, and unleash them to the world to make beautiful things with that. >> the principal said that helps them. behind the celebrity guest speakers and international trips, all expose them to opportunity and optimism. >> my long term goal is to be better than quentin tarantino as a director. a lot of people say that's hard. i know it's going to be hard, but i feel i have such an advantage on a lot of film makers because i come to this school and i'm get to go hold the camera at such a young age. >> a young age, sharp focus and a very bright future. so here's to looking at you, kid. >> the students' films are screened at lincoln center and the school helps them get internships at top media companies. i think it's so interesting what the principal said about giving

them this expensive piece of equipment sends a message that you're worthy. >> i used to teach film. the students are saying that the technology is so advanced now. martin scorses see said he can do more on his laptop than when he started. i learned more from my students that kind they did from me. >> the biggest american symbol isn't being bought here in the u.s. but that is about to change. the pentagon is supposed to buy its flags here and not from overseas. there was never an official law until now. the flag provision was added to the congressional spending bill in january. >> former president bush showing off his new passion, painting. two dozen portraits on display in dallas. the former president, most of them haven't been seen and he hasn't been shy about his new

hobby. he started painting when he left office in 2008 and that exhibit will open in april. >> disney world is setting its sight on higher ticket prices, bumping the entry to $99 for adults and kids, the second hike since last summer and 60% more than families were paying in 2005. disney says the hike reflects the on going commitment to invest in the park. >> here's a look at stories we are following, the president telling the afghan president is ready to pull u.s. troops out of the country by the end of the year if he doesn't sign that new security deal. >> ukrainian lawmakers putting together an interim government. ukraine needs international aid. >> face ago default. this is a live look at the protest outside the parliament in crimea. there's also a new study that shows our children are slimming down at a big rate, a big drop in children ages two to five.

the defense democratic plan to go scale back the u.s. military, that has people in pakistan living in fear. >> the aljazeera morning news continues and del is right back with you in just two minutes.

>> an ultimatum from the white house, the new approach to getting out of afghanistan. >> it was not safe to keep my children in that area. they were discretioned due to hovering drones. >> the defense department planning to down size america's military, striking fear in the hearts of some in pakistan. employers refusing to hire anyone who smokes. >> please, somebody tell me he's

alive. >> this woman watches at her husband dies, that case head to go court. >> we are seeing sentencinging now in the murder trial in the lee rig by case. a british soldier brutally killed on the streets of london last year. both men charged convicted of murder two months ago could be facing life in prison. we are outside the courthouse in london where both men are now awaiting sentencing. phil, we hear there is a heavier police presence outside the court. >> extremely heavy on police station all around the court. there is a huge demonstration taking place, members of far right political groups mixed with members of the british military, old veterans here to

show their support for lee rig by. this is a case that absolutely horrified people in this country. a 25-year-old man walking through busy street in london, a civilized western city was deliberately run over by a car, sat upon by two men, stabbed multiple times. one of the killers tried to cut off his head in the middle of the street. when these men had done what they had done, they didn't try to run. they did not flee. they stayed. one actually spoke to a woman who had challenged him, saying that this was a case of an eye for an eye and then they calmly waited for police. when the police arrived, they charged the police. they wanted armed officers to shoot them. one actually said they wanted police to kill them because they wanted to go to paradise. they wanted to achieve martyrdom. when questioned, he said that they had lay in wait and had

chosen him specifically because he was a soldier, because as far as they were concerned, this was not a case of murder, this was an act of war. they were engaged in a holy war, saying they were soldiers of allah, engaged in a war against british foreign policy abroad, which they said had led to the deaths of muslims in other countries and he was not a murder victim, he was collateral damage, a consequence of this war. straight afterwards, was, the british political establishment said this had nothing to do with foreign policy, this was a premeditated cold blooded murder. british government said this was nothing to do with religion or faith. of course the jury in the court agreed. it took them just an hour and a half, 90 minutes to sentence these men to convicted these men and for the four men of the jury to say they were guilty. >> sentencing has been delayed

over life tariffs. can you explain what these are? >> the life terms, life is the mandatory sentence for murder, so these men will get life, but life in the u.k. does not always mean life, it comes with a caveat in a lot of cases. it could be with a minimum term of 20, 30, 40 years, therefore a killer could potentially be released in the future. this is the kind of case where you have members of the public, newspapers saying throw away the key, they should never be builds. the trial judge said when these men were convicted, he was delaying sentencing, waiting for a key court case which we all knew was coming, it happened last week here, the court of appeals judges ruled that some killers can be sentenced without question to life behind bars, their entire life, they will never, ever be set free.

we were waiting for that court to take place. that has happened. that is what we expect when they were sentenced in 30 minutes time or so, that they will never be set free, they will die in prison. there is a very small chance one of the killers could walk three, saying he is planning to appeal his conviction if he's given leave to appeal then could do so. of course, he has to be given leave to appeal. that may well not happen. today we are expected they will be told they will never walk free. >> president obamaed patience with afghanistan may be wearing thin. after months of seesaw negotiations, the president issued an ultimatum to hamid karzai, sign a security deal or the u.s. will withdraw troops this year. the stalemate is creating a showdown with huge consequences for both countries. >> the u.s. president barack obama has mainly left the

negotiating with hopple mid karzai to his staff but after nine months of silence picked up the phone tuesday with a personal warning. he was told if the u.v. is to stay in afghan in 2014, he must sign a security agreement. the u.s. has started planning for the scoured zero option, a complete withdrawal, also warning there will be consequences the longer he delays. >> the further we go without a signed agreement, any contemplative post 2014 mission would be necessarily limited in scale and ambition because of the requirements of planning for that troop presence. >> that could mean just 3,000 u.s. troops stay, largely holed up in kabul and bag ram to conduct drone operations. >> that's going to enable you to

operate drones, enable some semblance of working with afghan special forces, as well, bus that's about it. >> that is karzaied trump card. if the u.s. is going to continue zone strikes, u.s. troops have to be in afghanistan. the zero option will get pushback from the military and congress who fear what would happen to afghanistan if u.s. troops left entirely, but the american public will probably be much more for giving. 66% of those asked in a recent poll believe the war in afghanistan was not worth fighting. >> those people would be more than happy to see the billions in aid promised to afghanistan kept in the u.s. and that is the american trump card. it's not just a question of if the afghan forces can take on the taliban and win, but can their government pay them to stay in the fight. aljazeera, washington. >> the pentagon plans to cut the u.s. troop presence in afghanistan to 20,000 by mid

summer. if no agreement is reached, commanders will pull troops out by december 31. >> year after the pentagon said women should have equal roles in combat, a new report show a small number of women want to be on the front lines. covering nearly 170,000 women show less than 8% want combat work. women do due want them want to be part of the elite night stalker team, the special crew known for flying navy sales into bin laden's compound in 2011. >> a car bomb in iraq killed 15 tuesday in a popular commercial area of baghdad. there's been a rise in violence over the recent months. >> the group hezbollah plans to respond to an israeli attack on lebanon in the upcoming days. lebanon state media reports that israeli jets carried out air strikes near the border monday. israeli's military did not

comment on the attack but said there was some air force activity. hezbollah is active on that border and says the aggression will not go unnoticed. >> if a picture is worth a thousand words, this photo from the syrian capitol speaks volumes, showing an endless sea of people waiting for humanitarian aid and the search for food, many forced to eat grass. the photo was released by the united nations relief agency that only gained actions to the camp. thousands have risked starvation after months of living under siege. >> as the pentagon slashes spending, the military could shift to the skies. as many as 80,000 u.s. troops could be cut with less boots on the ground, drones will play a bigger role in future conflicts, but as reported, it's not sitting well with some victims of drone attacks in pakistan.

>> she lost her husband in a u.s. drone strike. he was a mechanic. now she has no means to provide for her five children. she has now moved from her home. >> it was not safe to keep my children in that area anymore. they were distressed do to hovering drones and afraid to live in our home after the drone strike that killed their father. i'm hardly able to see them. >> human rights campaigners call drone strikes a form of death penalty without trial. >> pakistan said it's up to the united states to respect basic human rights by stopping drone attacks. that request seems to be working. so far there have been no u.s. drone strikes in afghanistan's tribal areas. >> for the hundreds of civilians who already lost loved once in drone strikes, this doesn't mean

much. >> my eldest is 15 years old. he was in ninth grade. i stopped sending him to school. he works to earn for the family. i wish his father was alive so he could philadelphia his dream of educating the children. i'm a poor women. i can't find work to bear my children's expenses. >> the target's hard profile hardliners with specific intelligence reports but victims don't agree. some believe drone attacks might resume if talks fail between pakistan's government and taliban fighters. >> >> troop numbers will shrink to below .500 thousand, the smallest level since before world war ii. >> things are moving fast in ukraine, the parliament putting together a new cabinet. the riot police unit, many accuse of killing demonstrators has been disbanded. we want to show you pictures from protests in southern ukraine. these people are opposing any

new government. jennifer glasse is live in ukraine. what is going on right now where you are? >> the pictures you're seeing are at the crimean parliament. about an hour from here, thousands of demonstrators on both sides are gathering. it's been a russian naval base since the 18th century. it's no surprise that people here are unhappy with the development in ukraine. they are particularly unhappy that the language is made ukrainian officially. they are very unhappy with the developments in kiev. >> you feel left out, like they didn't ask you. >> yeah, they just follow their

direction. we are staying aside, yeah, but now we will fight, yeah. >> four busloads of people went over to the parliament to express their support. they'd like to see the parliament say that they're going to go independent, turn toward russia. they elected their own mayor, appointed him sunday. he is a russian citizen, not a ukrainian citizen. they don't like what's happening in kiev. they want to see this become part of russia. >> russia suspend that go $15 billion aid package that it boasted just a few months ago and now secretary of state john kerry and e.u. foreign minuter are pledging support. what does that mean and how is that playing out in ukraine? >> it's going to have to mean money and lots of it. that $15 billion that russia pledged to former president yanukovych was a lifeline much

needed. the ukrainian government is close to default now with that money on hold, but catherine ashton was in ukraine for two days this week but couldn't come to any agreement. she couldn't make any deal because there's no government in place. that's what the parliament has to do, put a government in place and then the international monetary fund, europe, the united states can put together a financial deal. they're working on deals. they are all going to be contingent on economic reforms here. comet is in a mess here. a lot of things are going to to have change, reforms needed. they need outside money, that $15 billion from russia was very, very much the lifeline for president viktor yanukovych. russia is waiting to see what will happen, doesn't recognize the current governments in kiev, and so they're trying to put together a transitional government, hopefully by tomorrow and put together some financial plan. >> what is the latest on viktor

yanukovych, do we know where he is? >> we don't. he was last scene just a couple of miles up the road from here. we understand his son owns a lot of property there, but there the trial goes cold and that was three days ago. he is very much on the run, wanted for arrest for the murder of citizens in ukraine. many would like to see him captured, although there is russian sympathy here. people don't like viktor yanukovych, never been behind him or trusted him, so very much the most wanted man in ukraine right now. >> jennifer, thank you very much. >> residents out west where they are suffering through a prolonged drought could see rain today. let's turn to the meteorologist for the details. >> we are certainly already getting a little bit in the way of rain, light rain as the cloud cover moves in. we are going to see another area of low pressure gathering itself and moving in friday into

saturday. by the first half of the weekend, that's when we'll see the rain pile up, as well as the snow in the higher elevations around the sierra nevada and mountainous areas in southern california. we could see a foot to two feet of snow in the upper elevations. the rain, up to six inches of rain. it's all going to come quickly. although we could use the rain, it's just so dry that we're going to be dealing with the potential of flooding and land slides. we'll monitor the situation. heading east, streets are soaked around new orleans. we have the colder air, so seeing rain change to go freezing rain in some areas around texas. a lot of that not quite reaching ground just yet. we will have to watch out around i-20 west of dallas. our temperature drop, 23 degrees colder than yesterday at this time in san antonio. here's the setup through the day. we have that arctic high

building southward. clockwise bring winds from the north to texas, and that's spilling out the cold air mass. wind chill warning in effect across the u.p. of michigan. we have side spread wind chill advisories, 30 to 40 degrees below zero is what it's going to feel like throughout the day here. >> pope benedict denies speculation he was rushed to resign, telling a correspondent that the decision was his alone. friday marks the first anniversary of his resignation, the first pope to step down in more than 600 years. he defended his decision to continue wearing the traditional white of papacy, saying there were no other close available. >> a widow saying police killed her husband during an arrest and is releasing video that she took on her cell phone she says proves it. >> luis, please. >> calm down, sir. >> officers restrained luis

rodriguez during his arrest at a movie theater, responding to a report of a domestic disturbance. when they tried to question him, that fight was between his wife and daughter. he didn't commit any crime. >> you'll kill him! you'll kill him! >> i just need you right over here! >> you are killing my husband! >> investigators are now looking into the case and a toxicology report to see if it has any bearing on what happened. >> a deputy sheriff in florida facing suspension after sending the wrong teenage tore jail to fail rape charges. both the suspect and man share the same name. cody williams and both are high school classmates. in august of 2013, 18-year-old cody lee williams spent 35 days in jail. authorities now admit he wasn't the right suspect. cody raymond williams on the right was the man they are looking for, due to be in front

of a judge next week. >> it was supposed to be the future of on line commerce, but now its future is uncertain, we are talking about bit coins. we'll tell you how the currency works and why it may or may not be a good investment. >> billions of dollars hidden from the i.r.s., the bank accused of helping wealthy americans avoid paying taxes. >> it's against the law for employers to discriminate based on age, race or gender, but tobacco use, some employers refuse to hire smokers. ♪

what is this place? where are we? this is where we bring together the fastest internet and the best in entertainment. we call it the x1 entertainment operating system.

it looks like the future! we must have encountered a temporal vortex. further analytics are necessary. beam us up. ♪ that's my phone. hey. [ female announcer ] the x1 entertainment operating system, only from xfinity. tv and internet together like never before. >> good morning within welcome back to aljazeera america. coming up, why the popular digital currency bit coin could be on the brink of collapse. first, your forecast with our meteorologist. >> the cold air is what we're facing across much of the dakotas on into minnesota and great lakes. in fargo, feels like minus 19. feels like minus 17 in chick. everyone needing to bundle up here across the area.

dress in layers. as we go through our week ahead, minneapolis, temperatures are going to stay well below average by 30 degrees some days. in the northeast, waking up to teens and 20's. in the south, we have 20's across texas. >> senate investigators want to know how you a swiss bank helped wealthy americans avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes. lawmakers say the bank helped 22,000 customers hide money offshore out of sight from the i.r.s. a new report contends that the justice department didn't do enough to stop the practice. today a number of justice department officials are schedule would to testify before the senate subcommittee. a dozen other swiss banks are under investigation. >> the virtual currency bit coin hitting a major snag, a key on line marketplace that tokyo based shutting down suddenly. investors say hundreds of millions of dollars is missing. we have more on what it means for the future of bit coin. >> at the nightclub in mid town

manhattan, he takes all major credit cards and cash but prefers bit coin. >> it takes a couple of days to process, with the bit coin processing, we get a debit the next morning. >> it is a digital currency traded on line with virtually no regulation by governments or central banks. investors manage bit coins through exchanges, but the industry was turned on its head tuesday when the company abruptly stopped trading. >> it's like a bank suddenly closing its doors without warning. if you log on, you'll see this statement, saying its shut down to protect its users. >> that hasn't satisfied customers who traveled to the headquarters in tokyo to find out where their money was. >> i had bit coins, which at the time before this started was worth $300,000, so it looks like that's disappeared. >> nearly 750,000 bit coins are missing, worth $350 million.

this is raising serious concerns for financial regulators. state security commissions are watching closely. alabama firms warn bit coins are a high risk investment with minimal protect. the price is more volatile, losing about two thirds of their value in the last three months. that's not all bad for users. >> for me, i'm almost happy the bit coins are cheap now, so i can buy some more up. >> with a dozen customers who use the currency at his club, liechtenstein is still banking on bit coins. aljazeera, new york. >> the wall street journal reports federal prosecutors issuing subpoenas, japan looking into regulating that virtual currency. >> the huge target data breach, profits dropping after the attack was revealed in december. the costs related to the breach may have an adverse effect on

its profits for 2014 and beyond. >> lowe's ending on a profitable note, earning $360 million, warning earnings this year will be below forecast. they will buy back $5 billion worth of its stock. >> on wall street, dow futures up 15 points, beginning the day at 16,179. the s&p at 1845. the nasdaq at 4287. overseas, asian markets ended the day higher, japan's make key fell. european stocks at this hour lower. >> some private companies in america are taking steps to ensure the health of their employees. they are not hiring anyone who uses tobacco. that means either smoking or e cigarettes. main line health started the practice a few years back. the company hopes to set an example for others looking to cut down smoking while cutting

health care costs. you can't even light up in your home. critics say the rules go too far and unfairly discriminate against smokers. >> it bothers me. it does have an authoritarian tenor to it. >> employers pay an extra $20 a month for their health care costs if they smoke. >> pressure mounting on the governor of arizona. >> it's a vote we regret taking and are trying to make that right. >> lawmakers urge the governor to veto a bill that some say legalizes discrimination. >> nigeria passing a law that bans homosexuality. it could be a diplomat i can break through, north and south korea could be closer to

reuniting. >> hope to go bring home a medal after the sochi games instead brought home two furry friends. >> al jazeera america presents... a breakthrough television event borderland a first hand view at the crisis on the border. >> how can i not be affected by it? >> strangers, with different points of view take a closer look at the ongoing conflict alex, a liberal artist from new york and randy, a conservative vet from illinois... >> are you telling me that it's ok to just let them all run into the united states? >> you don't have a right to make judgements about it... >> they re-trace the steps of myra, a woman desparately trying to reunite with her family. >> to discover, and one of their children perish in the process, i don't know how to deal with that. >> will they come together in the face of tradgedy? >> why her? it's insane. >> experience illegal immigration up close, and

personal. >> the only way to find out is to see it yourselves... >> on... borderland only on al jazeera america >> this is the real deal man...

>> we are following breaking news out of syria, 175 rebels killed in an ambush south of the capitol of damascus. the dead are reportedly from saudi arabia, chechnya, carried out by hezbollah in cooperation with the syrian government. >> arizona's governor has until saturday to sign a bill that opponents say will allow discrimination against gays and lesbians. the bill would let business owners deny service to gay customers based on religious grounds. the three republican state senators who voted for the bill are now asking for her to

reconsider and veto the bill. some say it is making the state look bad. >> i think other pieces are legislation like it are out of step with the people of arizona. >> discrimination under the guise of religious freedom. >> brewer will not say which way she is leaning when asked about it in washington attending the nothing governor's conference, indicating she had plenty of time to make her decision. >> a newspaper in uganda outing people it says are gay. that comes after strict new laws were passed banning homosexuality. some call it a witch hunt. some citizens are freeing, fearing for their safety. a bill was signed making it a crime punishable in some cases with life in prison. >> another african nation, nigeria making a similar

decision to ban homosexuality in january. men were attacked by a mob earlier this month. we sat down with one man who says he was a target. >> he said he was lucky to survive when he escaped a mob that came looking for homosexuals. he asked us not to reveal his identity. he's afraid of being attacked. >> it was like no more homosexuals in this city. man [bleep] man, we will kill them, we will clean this of homosexuals. they beat you until you cannot retaliate. >> he believed the attack happened because new laws meaning people who don't report gay people to the police or associate with gays or give health services can go to jail for 10 years. he also says the police joined

in the violence. >> the police attacked them and beat them. since the government passed this law, mobs are taking over. >> despite requests, the police refused to respond to his allegations. >> these are houses that the gay men fled. one attacker wrote on the wall no more homosexuals, pack and leave. >> it's a view held by most nigerian, asked whether they support the new laws in a survey. 92% of people who responded said yes, because of their religious and moral beliefs. human rights organizations say the new laws will make already existing violence against gays worse. this video on you tube shows two men accused of being gay about to be beaten to death. it was shot in december last year. it's an example of the kinds of violence that gay people here can face. apart from violence, diplomats are concerned about the far

reaching implication of new law. >> this restricts the freedom of association and speech, wimp is a dangerous, slippery slope. once you limit certain areas, it's easy to expand into others. we see it already affecting health programs in this country. sadly, we're beginning to see h.i.v. patients and health workers who are afraid to come into the lynn nicks for fear of being hassled or arrested. >> john and other gay men can't return because they're worried they'll be attacked again. they can challenge the new law in court ocean that it's unconstitutional. aljazeera. >> at least 60 teenage boys have been killed at a boarding school in nigeria. male and female students were separated, the girls told to go home. the boys were then shot and stabbed to death. that school burned to the ground with most of those children locked inside. 1,000 people have been killed in

the region in attacks by the group in recent years. nigeria and the u.s. designating them as a terrorist organization. >> former president jimmy carter now looking to ease tensions in venezuela, plans to meet with the countries president, and opposition leaders in april. tuesday, the state department expelled three venezuelan diplomats from the u.s., three american diplomats were kicked out of venezuela last week. protests have killed 13 there. many venezuelans are upset about the economy. inflation in venezuela is the highest in the world and one of the issues along with rising crime that fueled the recent anti-government protests. >> in january, prices rose more than 3% over the prefers months. the annual inflation is 66%. prices rise almost daily and there were shortage was basic food items. >> our daily routine is not to

go to the game or cinema, but from one supermarket or shop to another. i go to one, they've got nothing, another has sugar, but there's no cooking oil, butter, cereal or flour. there's no this or that. >> every venezuelan is forced to find ways to cope. with the currency losing value, the u.s. dollar is where it seeks stability. the official exchange rate paying three to one to the dollar, they are paying much more. >> we have 80,000 venezuela currency, worth 1,000 u.s. dollars. there's 1,000 adjustment dollars, that is worth that. 6.3 of the official exchange rate, about 80 of the unofficial black market rate. carrying large amounts of cash around is just one problem. a dollar shortage has affected

imports. these car showrooms are empty. i went to talk to the manager, but with nothing to sell, he's not come to work. >> this would be very short term. we don't think about next year. we think about next week or next month. you don't really think about saving, that's out of the question. >> the economy in venezuela is knots an abstract concept practiced by men in gray suits. it affects everyone every day. even this simple cup of coffee is a challenge. at the official rate, it cost more than $3, the black market rate 20 cents and costs more this week than last. they are calling for an end to state led growth and currency controls. government schemes ensure the poor are fed while the rich have their own ways to cope. the government has come mostly

from middle classes, frustration spilling into anger that shows no signs of abating. >> international pressure is increasing on the venezuelan government. the pope today also appealing for peace in that region. >> an image of north korea shows the country shrouded in darkness, the north completely in the dark while sauce korea and china well lit. 24 hours of electricity in north korea is a luxury, people people in the south are very connected and very plugged in. tuesday, south korea's president working out a way to reunify the north and south. charles armstrong is a professor of korean studies at colombia university. >> good morning. >> this call by the president of south korea for reunification, will it go anywhere? >> the fact that their talking is a very good sign.

engagement, contact is still a long way off. >> we hear the north always sabre rattling, executions, human rights violations, the international court saying it will bring charges, how can the two sides reunify when one side is wanted by the international courts? >> it's hard to see however this call will go. china wants to maintain this regime on their borders. north korea wants to be part of the economic gain with all activity in the south and in china, and there's nothing we can do right now to affect the regime. we have to deal with it as it is and the south korean government has learned that. they're trying to engage economically to draw them out and eventually other political issues can be addressed. >> the images from space were taken from the international space station show exactly how much in the dark north korea is compared to south korea and

china. these images were called city lights. now another image we prepared shows you the borders between north and south korea and china just so that people understand we are not talking about an area surrounded by water, all that have dark area that is north korea in the dark is because the people there have no light. obviously, the north needs this. do they understand how much they need it, do they see images like this? >> the country has been in dire economic straits for a long time. they're in a dilemma. the regime needs to maintain information control. they feel to keep themselves in power. they feel threatened by the outside world, the u.s., south korea, but they need to open up to improve the economy. they're caught in a bind. it's not clear however they will go to open up to i am prove the situation. they know they need to do something. >> it's been 60 years since the war, my father went as a young

man, and now is 86. is this the year we will see north korea, south korea come together? >> i hope so. the war ended in 1953 but the conflict still continues. it would be great to see it finally come to an end. >> one question asked a lot, how can a country be isolated with so much progress on both sides? we see the progress in south korea, especially seoul and beijing. how can the north remain that isolated around it with a world that is so technologically advanced? >> these are political decision. the regime decided to keep itself in power, it needs to isolate. you can't have a 21st century in those conditions. they have to decide what decisions they are going to make to go from here. >> economically, the benefits if the two unify? >> north korea has lots of natural resources, coal, iron,

mineral resources, cheap labor. economic integration of the two would benefit both sides tremendously. >> would it be unfair at first for those in the north? you said cheap labor and i hear people say slave labor. >> that is a problem. north korea doesn't want to be dominated by south korea. they are afraid of opening and letting economic interests take over. they don't want a hostile takeover from the south. >> thanks for being with us this morning. those images are stark. >> in college basketball, one team now making a run at a perfect season. ross shimabuku joins us with the details. >> wichita state has won 29 straight games. they could become the first team ever to start the season with a 30-0 record during a regular season. all they had to do was win last night and that's what they did. ron baker getting his groove on like you would not believe.

the super sophomore racked up 15 points, baker one of four shockers to score in double figures. number two wichita state would hammer bradley 69-49. the shockers became the 11t 11th team to start the season with a 30-0 record. the last team to reach that mark, the running rebels in 1990-1991 season, led by larry johnson. wichita state has one more regular season game saturday but right now are loving life. >> the knicks guard was arrested yesterday on two felony gun charges but could play thursday night. the nicks are not allowed to suspend the player just because he got arrested. the 29-year-old was arrested for possession of an unregistered gun after getting into a dispute with his estranged wife

allegedly. he is due in court june 2. >> arizona lost the superbowl back in 1993 because the state failed to recognize martin luther king day as a state holiday. i'm telling you this, because arizona could be in danger of losing the upcoming superbowl. arizona governor jan brewer considering signing an anti gay bill where businesses could refers services to gay couples. pressure is being put on the governor. the host committee has said veto it. the nfl is concerned and watching this very closely. >> if you're a hockey player and had a chance to win an olympic medal but knew you would get injured and miss the rest of the nhl season, would you do it again? at the sochi games, a gold medal for team canada, but tore his m.c.l. in the process and will miss the remainder of the season

for the new york islanders. the star will not need surgery. that's the big debate. should professional athletes participate in the olympics knowing that she could get injured and hurt their professional teams. st. louis blues captain david backes hoped he to bring home a medal. instead, he and his wife brought home puppies. the stray dogs that made headlines in sochi now have a new home in st. louis. a lot of american athletes rescued dogs and brought them back to the states. look at them. >> by the end of it, those two were living in hotel rooms where they shouldn't have been getting baths in bath tubs where they shouldn't have been. you see one that's really skinny or fighting over scraps of food. that tears your heart out. we feel every dog should ever a great home that's well fed. it's almost like they knew they

were going somewhere where they didn't have to fight over food or worry about who's coming after them next. >> the dogs will spend 30 days in quarantine, after that have a loving home. >> then they've got to learn to speak english. ross, thanks. >> we knew she was a pretty good dancer, but did you know the first lady of the united states can rap? it sounds like fun and games, but it's for a good cause, reducing childhood obesity. the first lady's mission and why it's getting results. >> chess players take note, a new challenge at hand. if you want to play, there's an app for that.

>> a coal fire in australia may take announce burn out.

the town east of melbourne is blanketed in smoke. health officials worry for the health of people who live there. the fire in the mine may have been started on purpose. >> welcome back, straight ahead, making strides in the battle against obesity in our young children but first we want to show you live images from the nation's capitol, snow falling on the white house, blanketed with a couple of inches. we have a look at the forecast for the rest of the country. >> it looks like most of the wintery weather concentrated around the mid atlantic and northeast, seeing a lot around new york city but further south some areas picked up three inches. we expect to see up wards to one to three additional inches of snow. it's wet along the coast, the focal point for early day rain. the west is still quiet. we're watching our next storm system developing. it will be making its way in,

one of the low pressure systems that will make it's way in. >> first lady has worked against childhood obesity. we've seen her grow a vegetable garden and dance. >> roll my chicken in a wrap, don't jam it in a nugget. get hyped for healthy snacks, fresh food, we love it. >> didn't say it was really that good, the first lady's program let's move is getting credit for new stats that show americas children are slimming down. erika, we're talking about preschool kids. >> that's right, del. we're talking about toddlers, kindergarteners. this new report shows progress for that age group in the past 10 years. >> the rate dropping more than 40% among america's youngest children is called the most significant decrease in the epidemic. children ages two to five years

old went from nearly 14% obese 10 years ago to about 8% between 2011 and 2012. food and health activists praise the progress. >> it seems like some of the initiatives happening across the country to reduce childhood obesity are actually working and whether that's parents really changing the way they buy and serve food or some of the programs in early intervention, it seems things like breastfeeding and the reduction of sugary drinks are actually working which i also great news. >> much of the drop has come in the past few years and it's probably not a coincidence that this week marks first lady's michelle obama's fourth anniversary of her gain designed with this in mind. she is thrilled at the progress. other parts of the report are not as positive. older children ages six to 11

and teenagers made virtually no progress at all. with both age groups around 20% obese. as for the little ones, the scales are tipping in the right direction. >> kids do not grow out of their baby fat anymore. that just doesn't happen, because of the super sized portions and the unhealthy foods that we're eating, they don't grow out of their fat anymore. we need to treat them as soon as possible. >> this is a very significant age group, because doctors say children who are overweight early in life are more likely to be overweight as duties. obesity can lead to a higher risk for cancer, heart attack and stroke. >> good morning, dr. barnard. >> good morning. >> your reaction to these findings. >> it's a terrific change. up until now, the childhood obesity rates have been getting worse and worse and worse and if

they're leveling off or improving, that's great news and does mark a change. it's only that narrow age band two to five years of age, but it's good. >> you say there are three factors leading to these declines, breastfeeding, less sugar and reduction in their in take of meat and dairy. describe why you think these three things are so important. >> breastfeeding is becoming more popular, which is a good thing. breast fed children get a certain protection from excess weight gain for several years after the breastfeeding period. sugar is down. that means less soda, more water. we're seeing drops since about 2004 or so in meat and dairy intake. people are making healthier choses for their children. >> obesity by the numbers, 8% of our babies are obese. that number jump to say 17% between the ages of two and 19. by the age of 20, 35% of

america's children are obese. how did we get here? >> well, we probably got here because of gradual increases over the last century, meat has gone way, way up, cheese has gone way up, sugar has gone up some, and all of those things are really the key indicators. what probably is not a big issue is exercise, and that surprises people. we're exercising maybe less, but that's not really enough of a change to make a difference. when we look at the figures, not just for obesity, but overweight overall, we need to see more improvement there. >> we have a graph showing the number of overweight children. those numbers are nearly double. first of all, explain for the audience the difference between being obese and overweight. >> when these numbers were put together by the federal government, they use the body mass index, that's basically your body weight adjusted for height. once that number reaches 25,

above that, we say overweight, over 30, obesity. it's really a continuum. we see kids and their parents, two thirst of them are overweight. the bottom line is we're taking better care of our toddlers than before. we need to take better care of ourselves, too. >> we're celebrating the fact that the first lady's program is doing an awful lot for prek kids. i looked at that graph, and two thirds of the older americans are now overweight. are we giving up? >> no, there's no reason to give up. we should learn a lesson. some people have suggested in fact suggest one of the reasons for the benefit might be changes in the wick program, the women infant and children program, healthier food for them. foot stamps, why not have

healthier foods for everyone? >> one thing people wonder is when you talk about smoking, about drinking, you talk about long term, significant damage to the body. when it comes to weight, can the effects of being overweight, being obese be reversed? >> it definitely can. when people have extra weight, their risk of diabetes goes up, risk of heart problems, even certain problems like breast cancer are more common among people overweight. as soon as we bring our weight down, all of those things start getting better. >> as i have known you for so long, i'll give you just a few seconds to tell america what you think it should do if you think it is just a little overweight. >> well, i think whether we're a little overweight or a lot overweight, the foods that we really encourage people to put on their plate, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, the populations that eat those foods tend to be slimmer than people eating kind of the way that i grew up and maybe the way you grew up, as

well. >> thank you very much. >> international chess champ challenging the world to a match. the 23-year-old launch ago smart phone app that allow allows youo play him. the app recreates thousands of moves by the top chess players in the world, dating back to when he was five years of age. he hopes that app sparks a widespread interest in chess. that's going to do it for this our. more news straight ahead and always at aljazeera.com. ...

welcome to al jazeera america. these are the stories we are following for youtises hour. president obama orderering the pentagon to start planning for the full withdrawal of all u.s. troops by the end of the year from afghanistan, the latest

response to hamid karzai and his refusal to sign the security agreeme agreement. >> january brewer -- opponents say it will allow them to target gays and lesbian s. jimmie carter made an offer in private letters to nicolas maduro and be reiki caprez. ukraine's parliament has until tomorrow to put together a new government. the country on the edge much financial default after russia suspended that offer for $15,000,000,000 in aid. the interim government also disbanding the riot police believed to be responsible for the deaths much dozens of protesters last week. federal prosecutors are launching an investigation into the sudden disappearance of

$350 million of bitcoin, a company managing the internet exchange worldwide stopped trading. those are your headlines. i am del walters in new york. "consider this" is next. a new attempt at reconciliation? children paralyze nad medicalmist scaring parents while doctors are scratching their heads. why dutch parents could set a standard around the world. here is more on what's